I'm With You (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
by ilna
Summary: After Steve tells the story of singing to Joan at the Rollins', he and Catherine talk.


**Notes:** Mari and Sammy – Thanks for the amazing support and encouragement. For the story and for life!

Esther – Thanks for always being willing to read and listen. Glad the banter could make you smile :-)

Readers and REAL McRollers – I'm consistently amazed by your incredible support for the REAL World! I'm so sorry I'm behind on review responses, but please know I'm grateful for your wonderful words!

Special thanks to **alharpole** for the suggestion that we revisit the Proud Joanie scene from _Happy_. I know you love flashbacks. Hope you like this one!

* * *

 _I'm With You (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)_

After dinner, Catherine and Grace were sharing a detached bench at one of the beautiful square tables on the deck with Steve and Danny across from each other on either side of them. Cammie roamed the yard, investigating the foliage.

Grace had Catherine's phone in her hand and was scrolling through photos as Catherine narrated highlights from their trip.

"That was while she was looking at the elephants, and she wanted Uncle Teeve to see them, too."

Grace laughed and turned the screen toward Steve. "She's grabbing your hair."

"Yeah, she's got a grip," Steve said, rubbing his head with a smile.

Danny chuckled. "Never underestimate the grip of a toddler."

Grace scrolled to the next photo and said, "Ohhhh! Joan is soooooo cute! And so happy. It's like she never cries."

"Oh, she cries all right," Steve said with a rueful laugh.

Catherine smiled and rubbed his arm. "Yeah, you got some first hand experience with that, didn't you?"

Danny looked between them. "I sense a story there . . ."

"Ah, it was . . . it . . ." Steve waved a hand dismissively. "Not a big deal."

Danny grinned. "Which in SuperSEAL-speak means it was. Now spill."

"Ohh, tell us, Uncle Steve," Grace pleaded. " _Please?_ "

He sighed and smiled.

"Okay, well . . . Mary and Catherine had gone with Elizabeth and Grandma Ang to get stuff for Smokey and for Joan's party. And then Joan woke up early from her nap . . ."

 _"MAMAAAAAAA!"_

 _Steve ran into the bedroom at Joan's scream. The toddler was sitting up on the bed sobbing._

 _"Joan," Steve said and immediately picked her up. He spoke soothingly as he ran a hand over her head, arms, and legs to check for any injuries. "Joanie, Joanie, Joanie. Shhhhhhh."_

 _"MAMA! MAMA!"_

 _"Hey, it's okay. It's okay." He bounced her gently in his arms. "Mama's gonna be back soon."_

 _"MAMA!" she cried, tears streaming down her face._

 _He rubbed her back and said, "She went with Aunt Cath and Aunt Elizabeth and Grandma Ang, but she'll be back."_

 _She clutched his shirt in her fists and tugged. "MAMA!"_

 _"You're okay," he said, his worry rising though his voice stayed calm. "I'm with you."_

 _She continued to cry, and he asked, "Are you hungry? Do you want your snack?"_

 _"NO!"_

 _Steve looked around frantically. He spotted the stuffed iguana from the zoo on the dresser and grabbed it._

 _"Here." He offered her the toy. "How about Sebastian?"_

 _"NO!" She batted it out of his hand. "MAMA!"_

 _He reached next for her elephant on the bed._

 _"What about your elephant?"_

 _Joan clutched the stuffed animal close but continued to sob._

 _"Want Mama! Want Mama, Teeve!"_

 _Joseph ran into the room, concern clear on his face._

 _"What's wrong?" he asked. "Is she okay?"_

 _Steve turned near-panicked eyes on him. "She's . . . yeah, physically she's . . . yeah . . . she . . . she wants Mary." He looked back at Joan, bouncing her again. "Shhhhhh, you're okay. You're okay."_

 _"Mama!" Joan cried._

" _I offered her a snack . . . and her toys." Steve swallowed and looked at Joseph. "What do . . . what do I . . .?"_

 _"Here," Joseph said and lifted the wailing Joan from his arms._

 _Steve ran an agitated hand through his hair._

 _Joseph said, "Let me try something that used to work on Catherine when she was like this."_

 _As Steve looked on, his face etched with distress, Joseph began to pace the room with Joan. He held the back of her head, bouncing her gently, and started to sing._

 _" 'Left a good job in the city. Workin' for the man every night and day . . .' "_

 _Joan continued to scream as he sang the first verse, but she was momentarily surprised into quiet when he carefully dipped her backwards three times during the chorus._

 _" 'Rollin' . . . rollin' . . . rollin' on the river.' "_

 _Joseph paused, and Steve held his breath as he watched his niece._

 _Her face crumpled, and she started to cry again._

" _Keep going, keep going," Steve told Joseph._

" ' _Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis,' " Joseph sang and resumed pacing, Steve now walking beside him._

 _Joseph continued singing, and Joan looked at Steve plaintively, whimpering. He joined Joseph for the chorus._

" ' _Big wheel keep on turnin'," they sang. Joseph looked at Steve and nodded toward Joan. " 'Proud_ Joanie _keep on burnin'."_

 _The change from "Proud Mary" to her name got a little giggle from the toddler._

 _Joseph dipped her again as they sang, " 'Rollin' . . . rollin' . . . rollin' on the river."_

 _When they paused this time, Joan sniffed and said, " 'Gain. More."_

 _Steve and Joseph laughed in relief, readily complying._

" ' _Rollin' . . . rollin' . . . rollin' on the river.' "_

 _Joan squealed as she was dipped, and they repeated the line with Steve leaning in to tickle her tummy._

" ' _Rollin' . . . rollin' . . . rollin' on the river.' "_

 _As Joseph straightened with Joan for the last time, Steve sighed in relief and ran a hand over her head, sensing the worst was over._

 _She looked at him and asked, "Mama?"_

 _"Soon, Joanie," he said and wiped at the tear tracks on her cheek with his thumb. "She'll be back soon. Do you want to have your snack?"_

 _She nodded and reached for him, her elephant still in hand._

 _"Fish," she said._

 _"Okay," he said as he took her in his arms and turned for the door. "Let's get you some goldfish." He glanced at Joseph gratefully. "I think I might need some, too, after that."_

 _They got Joan settled at the table with a handful of goldfish and a cup of milk. She babbled happily to herself and arranged the fish in front of her._

 _Steve looked across the table at Joseph and asked, "You used to do that with Catherine?"_

 _"Yeah. CCR, The Band, Cat Stevens, Van Morrison." He smiled. "She liked 'Brown Eyed Girl' best."_

 _Steve smiled softly, recalling their earlier conversation._

 _His eyes drifted to Joan who put a goldfish in her mouth and smiled at him._

 _He shook his head slowly and said, "Like it never happened. I wonder what brought that on."_

" _Hard to say," Joseph said. "Could be she woke up disoriented from a dream. Wasn't sure where she was. And then Mary wasn't there, and that was too much for her."_

 _Steve continued to look at Joan, her cries still fresh in his head._

" _I've never seen her like that," he said. "I mean, I've seen her cry, but not like that." He sighed and gave Joseph another grateful look. "Glad that worked."_

" _Me, too. It doesn't always. Sometimes they just really want mama." He looked at Steve meaningfully. "That's something to remember."_

 _Steve exhaled a resigned chuckle and shook his head._

" _You, too?"_

 _Joseph held up his hands._

" _That's all I'm gonna say about it."_

" _Thank you." Steve looked at Joan as she finished her last goldfish. "Well, what do you think, Joanie? Should we go get poor Sebastian off the floor and play in the living room until Mama and everyone gets back?"_

 _She nodded. "Bas-tin. Get Bas-tin."_

 _She raised her arms to be helped down, and Steve stood and lifted her from her seat._

" _Okay, let's go get him."_

Steve finished the story and looked at the others at the table.

"You told Mary it was a 'few tears,' " Catherine said with a small smile.

"Yeah, well . . ." Steve sighed. "It was more than a few."

Danny shook his head slowly in wonder. "You singing 'Proud Mary' to a toddler . . ." He chuckled. "I'm going to lock that image away to bring out as needed because that is quite possibly one of the funniest things I've ever heard."

"I think it's sweet," Grace said.

" _Thank you_ , Gracie," Steve said and threw a look of feigned annoyance in his partner's direction.

"Oh, it's very sweet," Danny said with a grin. " _And_ hysterical. What are the odds we'll get to see a similar . . . performance?"

"Incredibly low," Steve deadpanned, causing the others to laugh.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure, my friend," Danny said knowingly.

Grace looked at her father. "Did I ever cry like that, Danno?"

"Not once," he said. "You were the best baby in the world. You never cried."

She squinted at him. "Are you lying?"

"Absolutely."

They all laughed.

"The first time your mom and I left you with your Aunt Angela and Uncle Sal, you apparently cried from the minute we stepped out the front door until about five minutes before we got back. Two hours later."

Grace's eyes widened. "Two _hours_?"

"Yup," Danny confirmed. "Ask 'em about it next time you talk to them. They'll be happy to tell you every excruciating detail."

Catherine smiled at Steve. "Guess you lucked out there, huh, Uncle Teeve?"

He inhaled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sure felt like about two hours."

Catherine put her hand on his forearm. "I bet." She smiled. "But now you know Dad's special tactic."

He smiled softly, taking her hand and entwining their fingers loosely.

"Yeah, I learned a lot from your dad this trip."

The silent look that passed between them did not go unnoticed by the other two at the table who smiled.

After a moment, Danny asked, "Did you learn any other _songs_? Because you may want to expand your lyrical repertoire beyond Journey and Van Halen before you're next called to perform."

Steve rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you think Bon Jovi should be at the top of that list."

"Hey, you can't go wrong with 'Thank You for Loving Me,' right, Grace?" Danny asked, rubbing her shoulder.

She smiled at him. "Right."

Steve and Catherine smiled warmly, remembering Grace's story of how Danny took her to a Bon Jovi concert when she was six and often sang that song to her after.

Danny looked back at Steve and said, "Frankly, I'm surprised you knew the words to 'Proud Mary.' "

"Hey, I knew the chorus."

"Do you take requests?" Danny asked.

Steve shook his head. "I knew I'd regret telling you."

Catherine chuckled.

"Maybe Elvis?" Danny suggested. He snapped. "Got it. The Beach Boys."

Grace giggled, and Steve groaned.

Danny grinned. "I wonder if Cammie would like to be serenaded."

"I'm sure she'd love it," Steve said. "Go right ahead."

"It'd be good practice, Uncle Steve," Grace said in a sing-song voice with a grin that matched her father's.

He raised his eyebrows. "Really, Gracie? You, too?"

She shrugged her shoulders high with an innocent expression, then laughed.

She looked between Steve and Catherine more seriously.

"I just think you guys will be really great parents."

Catherine put her arm around Grace's shoulders. "Aww, thank you, Grace."

"I second that," Danny said, holding up a finger. "In case anyone was wondering."

"We weren't," Steve teased. He smiled. "But thank you."

"And if you wait a little longer," Grace added. "I'll be old enough to babysit . . ."

* * *

Later that night, Steve came in with Cammie from her last trip out for the night and found Catherine in the living room.

Cammie headed for the kitchen, and Steve joined Catherine on the couch. She set her phone on the coffee table, and he saw she had been looking at photos from their trip.

On her screen was one Mary had sent her from their trip to the Butterfly Pavilion. Joan was on Steve's shoulders and Catherine was holding her hand, having gently removed it from gripping his hair. They weren't looking at the camera, but all three faces were alight with happy smiles as they looked at each other.

"That's such a great picture," he said.

"Yeah, I was thinking I'd get it printed for the wall," she said and looked toward their photo wall.

He followed her gaze and nodded. "Perfect."

Cammie wandered into the room and settled by Steve's feet. Catherine reached over to scratch the dog's head before her eyes drifted back to her phone, and she grew quiet.

Steve waited, sensing she had more to say.

After a moment, she gave him a small smile. "Lot of hints lately."

He huffed a laugh in agreement. "Yeah. Been fieldin' a lot of those, haven't we?"

She inhaled and nodded.

Scratching his eyebrow, he said, "Not surprising, though, since we were around so much family."

She nodded again.

He waited a moment, then asked, "What are you thinking?"

She shifted on the sofa to better face him and propped her chin on her fist.

"The tug's getting stronger," she said. She let her hand drop and took his. "I mean, I'm not there yet." She sighed. "But it's definitely getting stronger."

He took a breath and turned his hand in hers to interlace their fingers.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he said. "I feel it, too."

She paused and licked her lips.

"It's gonna be a big change," she said.

"Yeah," he agreed, his eyes on hers.

"And it's a change I want," she said with a definitive nod. She smiled. "But not just yet."

He covered their joined hands with his other one.

"I'm with you."

She smiled and raised a hand to his cheek.

"Thank you," she said quietly and kissed him.

He smiled at her. "So was that the kid talk, part two?"

"I think it was technically part three," she said with an answering smile.

He chuckled. "Right."

"Part three of . . . I don't know how many," she admitted.

He shook his head and squeezed her fingers. "That's okay. So long as we keep talking, stay on the same page." He smiled. "I meant it when I said I'm happy, Catherine. I know we'll get there. In whatever form that takes." He held her eyes. "When the time is right for us."

She took a deep breath and looked at him gratefully. "I love you."

"I love you."

He leaned over and kissed her.

As their kiss deepened, Cammie raised her head and gave a soft woof. Catherine looked at her and smiled.

"And we love _you_ , pretty girl," she said and rubbed the dog's ears. "You know, we need to get a picture of you up on the photo wall."

"That's a good idea," Steve said. "We've got lots of good pictures of her."

Catherine stared at Cammie thoughtfully. "Mm, I don't know." She looked at Steve. "I think we should take a new one."

He smiled softly. "Whatever you want to do, I'm with you."

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Note:** See Mari's wonderful story _Conversations with Grace - Jersey Smiles_ for Danny and Grace's Bon Jovi bonding.

HUGE thanks to **katydid13** for starting a _McRoll in the REAL World Community_ here on the site. You can find links to all the stories by Mari, Sammy, and Ilna there. Browse the Community list or enter "McRoll" in the search box. Or use the link provided in the email blast and on our Tumblr page mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com


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